Liquid-fuel-feeding apparatus



J. SCHEMINGER, JR'

LIQUID FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed May 16, 1925 Wmv June 11, 1929.

Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,716,982 PATENT oFFici-i.

JOHN SCHEMINGER, JR., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO AETNA AUTO- MATIC OIL BURNERS, INCORPORATED, OF PROVIDENCE, :RHODE ISLAND, A COR- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

LIQUID-FUEL-FEEDIN G APPARATUS.

Application med may 16, 1925. serial nu. 30,848.

This invention relates to means for delivering liquids, and particularly fuel oil, to points remote from and in general to points .at a lower level than the source of supply, such as a storage tank or reservoirelevated above the burner or point of delivery and containing fuel oil or other liquid to be delivered for useat a distant point.

In the transfer of liquids through pipe lines by means of pump suction and discharge pressure, it is desirable to guard against one constant source of danger, i. e. the possibility of leaks developing in the suction line which, after the pumping operation has ceased, Would be liable to cause the contents of the reservoir or storage tank to be Wasted by siphonic action resulting from unexpected leakage in the pipe line connecting the source of supply with the point of delivery to a burner or other device.

The invention has for its primary object the provision of means in the suction vpipe line of a liquid transfer system for normally sealing an air vent in the suction pipe by means of a liquid seal adapted to be broken upon the'development of a leak in the suction line, or in either the suction or return pipe lines so as to prevent waste of liquid by siphonic action incase of leakage when the apparatus is not in operation; provision being inade for automatically exhausting the liquid seal so that air may be admitted to the suction line to break down the vacuum necessary to maintain the suction therein, thus interrupting and preventing any flow of liquid from the source of supply. To accomplish this result it is necessary that the vent opening in the suction line be located at a point above the highest levelof liquid in the storage tank or reservoir.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a liquid fuel transfer system used for feeding rotary ooil burners or the like, means to prevent the storage tank from being emptied by siphonic action due to leakage in the pipe line when the pump 1s stopped and the burner extinguished.

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as a part of this specication and then pointed out in the claim at the end of the description.

In said drawings,

F 1g. is a diagrammatic and parti-sectional view of a liquid transfer system or apparatus embodying my invention, coinprising a storage tank, a rotary pump, a liquid separating device or valve chamber, and a liquid chamber in the pipe line located above the level of the storage tank for normally sealing an air vent in the suction pipe;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View of one .corner of the air vent sealing chamber showing the method of connecting the suction line pipes thereto in communication with the normally liquid sealed airl vent.

Referring to said drawings in which the same reference characters are used to denote corresponding parts in different views, one section of a suction pipe 10 extends from a storage tank T to a right angle channel .s in the casing of an air vent liquid sealing chamber S, and another-section of said pipe extends from the Aopposite end of said channel s to the intake side of a pump P.

Extending from the channel .s to the interior of the sealing chamber S is a suction line vent opening 11, which in this instance is provided by screwing'a threaded plug 12 containing said Vent opening into a threaded hole through the bottom of the sealing chamber S where it opens into the channel 8, and connecting the interior of the sealing chamber With said channel.

AA discharge pipe 13 extends from the pump P to a separating device or valve chamber V, and a return pipe 14 extends from the upper portion of said valve chamber to the sealing chamber S, While a delivery pipe 16 extends from the lower portion of the valve chamber to the desired point at which the transferred liquid is to be delivered.

A pipe 15 connects the sealing chamber S with the storage tank T and a vent pipe t, common to all oil storage tanks, extends from the storage tank. To prevent back flow or drainage through the suction pipe section connecting the storage tank with the air vent liquid sealing chamber of any liquid drawn into the suction pipe line the pipe section 10 which extends into the storage tank is provided at its lower end with a check valve 10, which may be of any suit-f' able and well known construction so that further description or illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The operation of the illustrated transfer system, constructed as described, is as followszAs an initial step, a priming of liquid must beY placed in the sealing chamber S. This may be done by removing a plug X closing an opening in the top of the chamber, whereupon the rotation of the pump P will exhaust any air present in the suction line 10. In consequence of the suction line and vent 11 being sealed by the liquid in the sealing chamber, a vacuum will b set up in said line which will first result in drawing some of the liquid charge from the sealing chamber S into the suction line but will finally cause a lifting of liquid from the storage tank T by way of the suction line.

` Further rotation of the pump P will cause the liquid in the suction line 10 to be discharged through pipe 13 into the separating device or valve chamber V, resulting in an.

upward movement of the piston valve therein and a consequent division of the delivered liquid, a smaller portion of which will travel by way 'of pipe 16 to the point of final delivery, while the major portion will pass around the piston valve and out into the return pipe 14, delivering into the sealing chamber S. From said sealing chamber this liquid is returned to the t'ank T by Way of pipe 15. The described movement of the liquid will continue as long as the pump P is in operation, and the suctlon line vent 11 will be kept sealed by the liquid in the sealing chamber S.

- Assuming the device to be in operation and effecting the transfer of liquid as described, should the pump P come to a stop through any source-,of control, either automatic or manual, the flow of the liquid will also immediately stop, and if there are no leaks in the suction pipeline 10 and return pipe, 14, a bodyl of liquid will be held in said pipes, and in the upper portion of the sepa-V rating device or valve chamber V because thepiston in the latter will assume itslowermost position. A. bod of liquid will be held also in the sealing c amberS at a level co-incident with or just below the opening into pipe 15. Should yno leaks develop the liquid would bed held as described, and a second starting of the pump'would find the suction line already changed and sealed, and

' no priming. would be necessary.

However, should a leak develo in either 'the suction line 10 or return pipe 14, the

valve chamber V or pipe 13, the liquid held in thesealing chamber S would-gradually discharge by way of said leak, and upon being entirely discharged, air or atmospheric pressure would be admitted to the suction line 10 throughl the -vent openingll; this air or atmospheric pressure being drawn from the then emptied sealing chamberv S through the tank vent t and pipe 15, or through a minute opening s located inthe top of said chamber. The air thus admitted will break down the vacuum or suction existing in the suction line 10, and thereby interrupt any siphonic flow from the storage tank T. It is obvious that upon the development of a leak, the'l small body of liquid contained in the sealing chamber S would `flow therefrom, but that the extent of leakage would be confined to this relatively small quantity.

It will be seen that during continued operation, the suction line is held sealed by a sealing of the suction line vent 11, while the remainder escapes from the sealing chamber S by way of pipe 15 back to the storage tank.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, I have shown a liquid transfer system in the form of a liquid fuel feeding apparatus especially designed for use in feeding rotary `oil burners or the like, and which has associated therewith a separating device located inthe ipe line between the pump and the point oiJ delivery to a burner or the like, whereby a part of the liquid fuel passing through said separating device is delivered to the burner or the like while the major part of the liquid is returned to the storage tank, but I desire it to be understood that various other forms of separating devices than the form shown may be used, and that the separating device maybe dispensed with in some liquid circulating systems used for other purposesthan that of feeding liquid fuel to a burner or the like, but in which a return pipe is used for maintaining a liquid-sealed air-vent in the pipe line between the storage tank and the pump or between the point 4of delivery and the storage tankl on the discharge slde of the Pump 'Having thus described my invention, what f pipe at a point in the latter above thel 4 liquid level in the reservoir; a return pipe leading from the pump outlet back to the reservoir through said receiving chamber openly connected therein; and a distributor connected in said return pipe between the pump and said chamber separable and apart from the latter for diverting part of the pumped liquid to a point of final delivery While allowing the balance to discharge into said chamber, said distributor gomprising -a liquid receiving cylinder having a liquid by-pass to said return pipe controlled by a float-piston therein also actuating a valve regulating the divergent flow according to the level of liquid within the cylinder; and said combined drain and air Vent connection being normally sealed by the surplus liquid passing through the liquidchamber in return to the reservoir, but adapted to admit air to the feed pipe so as to break siphonic action therein upon drainage of said chamber through leakage at any point in the system on pump stoppage.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.v

JOHN SCHEMINGER, JR. 

